224 new GP Fellows for NSW

The RACGP welcomed 224 new Fellows as specialist GPs at a ceremony in New South Wales over the weekend, including five Rural Generalists and one Fellow in Advanced Rural General Practice.
 
RACGP President Dr Nicole Higgins said the Fellows were needed in Australia ‘more than ever’.
 
‘As the peak GP body responsible for training 90% of Australia’s general practitioners, the RACGP is delivering,’ she said.
 
Dr Higgins congratulated the cohort and spoke of the benefits of the profession.
 
‘Being a GP is one of the most rewarding and challenging jobs,’ she said.
 
‘GPs play a central role in their community and get the privilege of getting to know their patients over the years.
 
‘GPs not only help patients when they’re sick, they help them stay well and see them grow – there’s nothing quite like it.’
 
New Fellow Dr Nader Molavi celebrated his graduation on Saturday and said he became a GP to see the whole picture of a patient’s health.
 
‘Being GP is very rewarding, because I can cover everything about the patient,’ he told newsGP.
 
This perspective is vital, Dr Molavi says, when working in addiction medicine and mental health – his areas of special interest.
 
‘For both of them, you really need to pay attention to other comorbidities and other problems that can be in the picture,’ he said.


New Fellow Dr Nader Molavi speaking to media at the NSW ceremony.

Dr Molavi works from Punchbowl, south west of Sydney, and said he sees gaps in service provision in the area.
 
‘My patients come first, and sometimes I have to sit down with the patients for 40 minutes to do what’s needed for them,’ he said.
 
‘That’s what general practice is in my eyes … but maybe they can increase the incentives even in the urban areas, because I think the incentive in the rural areas is higher, but if they increase it in the urban areas, that would be helpful.’
 
RACGP NSW&ACT Chair Dr Rebekah Hoffman joined Dr Higgins in welcoming the new FRACGP members.
 
‘The RACGP represents four-in-five rural doctors, and we’re working to grow NSW’s rural GP workforce through our training placements, including Rural Generalist placements,’ she said.
 
Dr Hoffman said the RACGP is getting more GPs into communities but urged the NSW Government to follow in Victoria’s footsteps with incentives to bolster the workforce.
 
‘We are getting more GPs into communities, but we can grow the workforce much faster with government support,’ she said.
 
‘Incentives work – there was a big increase in the number of GPs training in Victoria after their government offered an incentive of up to $40,000 for doctors to train as GPs.
 
‘We’re calling for the NSW Government to provide a similar incentive.’
 
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